Christ is the most skillful Physician. There
is no disease too hard for Him. "Who heals all your
diseases." Psalm 103:3. He can cure the gangrene of sin —
even when it comes to the heart. He can melt a heart of
stone, and wash away black sins in His crimson blood! There
are no desperate cases with Christ. He has those salves,
oils, and balsams which can cure the worst diseases.

Christ is the cheapest Physician. Sickness is not
only a consumption to the body — but the purse! (Luke 8:43).
Physicians charge fees — but Jesus Christ gives us our cures
freely. He takes no fee. "Come without money and without
price!" Isaiah 55:1. He desires us to bring nothing to Him
but broken hearts. And when He has cured us, He desires us
to bestow nothing upon Him but our love — and one would
think that was very reasonable.

Christ heals with more ease than any other. Other
physicians apply pills, potions, or remedies. Christ cures
with more ease. Christ made the devil go out with a word
(Mark 9:25). So when the soul is spiritually possessed,
Christ can heal with a word, nay, He can cure with a look.
When Peter had fallen into a relapse, Christ looked
on Peter — and he wept. Christ's look melted Peter into
repentance — it was a healing look.

Other physicians can only cure those who are sick —
but Christ cures those who are dead. "You has He
quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins."
Ephesians 2:1

Christ cures not only our diseases — but our deformities!
The physician can make the sick man well; but if he is
deformed, he cannot make him lovely. Christ gives not only
health — but beauty. Sin has made us ugly and
misshapen. Christ's medicines do not only take away our
sickness — but our blemishes. He not only makes us
whole — but lovely. Christ not only heals — but adorns.

Last, Christ is the most bountiful Physician. Other
patients enrich their physicians — but here the Physician
enriches the patient! Christ advances all His
patients. He not only cures them — but crowns them!
(Revelation 2:10). Christ not only raises from the sick-bed
— but to the throne! He gives the sick man not only
health — but Heaven!

Oh, the love of this heavenly Physician! Christ Himself
drank that bitter cup which we should have drunk, and by His
taking the bitter potion — we are healed and saved! Thus
Christ has shown more love than any physician ever
did to the patient.

~ ~ ~ ~

The Power of Habit!

(author unknown)

Those habits
which seem too weak to be felt — soon become too strong to
be broken! They entwine themselves around the soul, and the
coil proves fatal.

Once commence the
downward course, and it is uncertain if you will ever
return!

The lives of many in
history illustrate the "downward steps from innocence to
guilt."

A painter once wanted a
picture of innocence — and painted a child at
prayer. The little suppliant was kneeling beside his
mother, the palms of his uplifted hands were reverently
pressed together, his rosy cheek spoke of health, and his
mild blue eye was upturned with the expression of devotion
and peace. The portrait of young Rupert was much
prized by the painter, and was hung up on his study wall,
and called 'Innocence.'

Years passed away, and
the painter became an old man; still the picture hung there.
He had often thought of painting a contrast — the picture of
guilt — but he had not found the appropriate subject.
At last he effected his purpose by paying a visit to a
neighboring jail.

On the damp floor of his
cell lay a wretched culprit, named Randall, heavily
shackled. Wasted was his body, and hollow his eye — vice was
visible in his face. The painter succeeded in copying his
features admirably, and the portraits of young Rupert and
old Randall were hung up side by side, as 'Innocence'
and 'Guilt.'

But who were young Rupert — and old Randall? Alas! the two
were one! Old Randall was young Rupert, led astray by his
companions, and ending his life in this damp dungeon of the
jail.

Beware of trifling with
sinful habits. Satan lays his fatal snares for the unwary,
adapts the bait — and the soul is taken captive by the
devil!

Never open the door to a
little vice, lest a great one should enter also!

Hide God's Word in your
heart, that you may not sin against Him. It will be a
bulwark to shield you, and a guide to direct you.

If we would walk safely,
we must check every approach to evil, and pray, "Hold me
up — and I shall be safe!" Psalm 119:117

"Sow a thought —
and you will reap an act;
sow an act — and you will reap a habit;
sow a habit — and you will reap a character;
sow character — and you will reap a destiny!"

"As the tree falls — so
must it lie;
As the man lives — so must he die!
As a man dies — such must he be;
All through the ages of eternity!"

A wandering of the mind in prayer is an evil to be
carefully avoided. I imagine there is no child of God but
has continually to lament wandering thoughts — something
coming in to divert the attention, and often carrying you
miles away from the presence of the Lord. Even those who
most grieve and regret this evil, find that it often comes
and disturbs them. It meets them in the sanctuary, it meets
them in family worship, it meets them in their private
devotions. It is a weed that is ever growing, and no
remedy has yet been found that can completely root it out of
the garden of the heart.

Yet some guidance may be given in the matter. Strive to be
very definite in your prayers. Think of what you most need,
and then put it very distinctly before the Lord.

Also, endeavor always to speak as to a living person. If you
could more fully realize and always recollect that when you
pray, a living Redeemer and an omnipotent Friend bows down
the ear to hear, that He is close by you, that you are not
speaking into the air — but that you speak your words to one
who as truly sees you and hears you as if you saw Him with
your very eyes before you — this
would help you more than anything!

~ ~ ~ ~

Let us often go to Hell while we live!

(Thomas Adams, "An Exposition on the Second Epistle of
Peter" 1633)

"I will show you whom you should
fear: Fear Him who, after the killing of the body, has
power to throw you into Hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!"
Luke 12:5

"The wicked shall be turned into Hell!" Psalm 9:17

God, in His mercy, threatens before He punishes — that He
may not punish as He threatens!

Let us descend daily into Hell by meditation — lest we
finally descend there by condemnation.
Let us often go to Hell while we live — lest
we go there when we are dead!

~ ~ ~ ~

There's no cost of being a Christian in
America!

(Leonard Ravenhill)

I went to a church not
along ago — they got thirty acres. So what are their plans
with it? They want their own football field and tennis
courts. Dear God, do we go to church to learn to play
tennis? God help the preachers!

We have such an accommodating Christianity today.

The best title of the professing church of God
today, in my judgment, is "Unbelieving Believers."
There's cancer in the church tonight!

At this grim hour, the
world sleeps in the darkness — and the Church sleeps in the
light.

You'll never get me to believe that the
church today believes in Hell.

We're a million, billion miles away from New Testament
Christianity!

I doubt if 5% of
professing Christians in America are born again!

Entertainment is the devil's substitute for joy. The more
joy you have in the Lord, the less entertainment you need.

Is the world crucified to you — or does it fascinate you?

The apostles had no gold, but lots of glory. We have lots of
gold, but no glory.
The book of Acts shows us the church before it became fat
and short of breath by prosperity!

Who or what takes priority over God in our lives?

Where, oh, where are the
eternity-conscious believers?

Where are the souls
white-hot for God because they fear His holy name and
presence and so live with eternity's values in view?

There's
no cost of being a Christian in America!

I'd rather have ten
people who want God — than 10,000 people who want to play
church!

~ ~ ~ ~

Prosperity, personality and popularity!

(Leonard Ravenhill)

The early church was a
lifeboat for rescuing the perishing.
Today's church is a cruise ship for pampering the
prosperous.

The early Church was married to poverty, prisons and
persecutions.
Today, the Church is married to prosperity,
personality and popularity.

~ ~ ~ ~

A canary and a goldfish!

(author unknown)

A
canary and a goldfish had their allotment
together in the same room.

One hot day the master of the house heard the fish
complaining of his silent condition, and envying the sweet
song of his companion overhead. "Oh, I wish I could sing
as sweetly as my friend up there!"

Meanwhile the Canary was eyeing the inhabitant of the globe,
"How cool it looks! I wish my lot were there."

"So then it shall be!" said the master, and forthwith placed
the fish in the air — and the bird in the water.

Immediately they saw their folly, and repented of their
discontent and grumbling.

The moral of this little fable is this: Let every man be
content in the state in which Divine Providence has placed
him, and believe that it is what is best fitted for him!

"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I
know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have
plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any
and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether
living in plenty or in want." Philippians 4:11-12

Be careful to make the very best use of your time. Make the
most of each passing day. Instead of trying to kill time
— strive to make it so fruitful of good to yourself and
others. Hours and moments are golden — yes, more valuable
than pearls and diamonds — and to squander and waste them
is folly beyond description! Until we reach eternity,
we shall never know how much good has been obtained or
wrought . . .
by a moment's earnest prayer,
by a passing opportunity seized,
by five minutes given to read a helpful book,
by a quarter of an hour given to visit some suffering
saint.

How much Christ accomplished in the three years of His
public ministry! He was always intent on the work He had to
do, so that tens of thousands were taught and benefitted.
And though we are so sinful, and our power so feeble in
comparison — is not His life to be a pattern for ours?

Oh, do not waste life!
Map it out prudently, and think well of the work to which
you yourself are called.
No lost hours through late rising in the morning!
No mornings or evenings worse than lost, in drinking in the
poison or the vanity of a worthless novel!
No moments thrown away in idle gossip and foolish talking!
No, no — our was life given to us for this! Use it far
better and more wisely. Remember that . . .
the time is short,
the work is great, and
the outcome is for eternity!

Soon will the great bell toll, which will usher you into a
future state. Brother, sister, make haste to do all the work
allotted to you — to do it well, that the Master may be
glorified, and your crown the brighter.

"So teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
Psalm 90:12

"He was pierced for our transgressions, He
was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment
that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are
healed!" Isaiah 53:5

If we would enjoy peace, grow in grace, and walk with God —
there is one object on which the eye of the mind
should be constantly fixed. Therefore it is written, as the
language of our crucified Lord, "They shall look upon Me
whom they have pierced!" Zechariah 12:10.

Pierced! WHO pierced
Him?

WE did — and pierced Him to the heart! Nor were we satisfied
with piercing Him once — for we have pierced Him often, and
pierced Him through and through!
Our unbelief pierces Him;
our ingratitude pierces Him;
the coldness of our love pierces Him;
our forgetfulness pierces Him;
our preferring the world to Him pierces Him;
our disobedience to His Word pierces Him;
and our doubting of His love pierces Him!

It was WE who pierced Him on Calvary!
We put the nails and the hammer into the
hands of the executioners!
We put the spear into the hand of the Roman
soldier!
Yes, it was we who . . .
gathered the thorns,
picked out the sharpest,
formed them into a mock crown,
thrust it on His head, and
with the staff beat the thorns into His temples!

See, see, there He hangs! Pierced in His head, hands,
feet, and side — piercedfor us — pierced by
us!

Look, my soul, at the pierced One!

God's holy Son hangs on that cross!

O my soul, look at Jesus!
He is your Substitute.
He is there for you!
He is suffering death for you!
He is bearing the desert of your sins in His body on
the tree!
He is enduring your curse, being made accursed for you!

He is revealing . . .
what is in man's nature,
what is in God's heart, and
what He is willing to do and suffer — rather than
I should perish!

Yes, Jesus is there for me!
He represents my person!
He answers for my crimes!
He dies in my stead!

O Savior, was ever any love, was ever any agony,
was ever any death — like Yours!

Look, my soul, look to Jesus, the pierced One!

Look, and mourn — because your sins
degraded, disgraced, and put Him to grief!

Look, and rejoice, for you shall have . . .
dignity — by His degradation,
honor — by His disgrace, and
life — by His death!

Look, and be sorry that you have ever sinned, and
so caused Jesus to suffer!
Look, and rejoice that you shall live forever to
glorify and praise His name!

O my soul, Jesus was wounded for your transgressions,
and bruised for your iniquities!
His blood has made your peace with God,
His righteousness gives you a title to eternal
life,
and His death delivers you from dying!

I fix my eye intently on Jesus on the Hill Calvary,
and marking all His tears, wounds, and agonies — I feel thatI was the cause of all. I myself did it! Yes, I
MYSELF . . .
bruised Him,
scourged Him,
spit on Him,
crowned Him with thorns,
smote Him with the fist, and
nailed Him to the cursed tree! I inflicted it all.

Yet, O wonder of wonders! I derive pardon, holiness, and
eternal life from it!

"Yes, He is altogether lovely!This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend!" Song of
Songs 5:16

In giving Christ to die for poor sinners, God gave the
richest jewel in His cabinet! This is a mercy of the
greatest worth, and most inestimable value.

Heaven itself is not so valuable and precious as Christ is!
Ten thousand thousand worlds, as many worlds as angels can
number — would not outweigh Christ's love, excellency and
sweetness! O what a lovely One! What an excellent,
beautiful, ravishing One — is Christ!

Put the beauty of ten thousand paradises, like the garden of
Eden, into one; put all flowers, all pleasing fragrances,
all colors, all delicious tastes, all joys, all sweetness,
all loveliness into one — O what a lovely and excellent
thing would that be! And yet it would be less compared to
that loveliest and dearest well-beloved Christ — than one
drop of rain compared to all the seas, rivers, lakes, and
fountains of ten thousand earths!

Now, for God to bestow this mercy of mercies, the most precious thing in Heaven or
earth, upon poor sinners; and, as great, as
lovely, as excellent as His Son was — what kind of love
is this!

"Yes,
He is altogether lovely!This
is my Beloved, and this is
my Friend!" Song of Songs 5:16

"A violent man entices his neighbor and leads him down a
harmful path." Proverbs 16:29

The devil never did any good to any of his servants — and
yet some of them seem to have more zeal for their master's
interest, than many of the servants of Christ. These evil
men compass sea and land to make others as much the children
of Hell as themselves.

Such tempters to wickedness are to be abhorred as the greatest plagues of mankind! Thieves deprive us of our money, and murderers
deprive us only of a short life — but these emissaries of
Hell who would seduce us to sin, attempt to rob us of
heavenly treasures, and to destroy our immortal souls!

Whenever any man would seduce us into a way that is harmful,
let us remember what the end of that way is, and
hear his words with the same indignation as if he were
persuading us to cast ourselves into a burning fiery
furnace!

(Editor's note: Much of today's MEDIA is but Satan's attempt
to seduce people down the path to eternal damnation.)

All plenitude is in Christ, to answer all the needs of His
people. In Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead,
that out of His fullness, I may receive all spiritual
blessings!

Have I destroyed myself by sin?
I have deliverance from Him who is mighty to save from sin
and wrath!

Is my life fleeting — and passing away like a shadow? Jesus is the Ancient of days, and endures forevermore!

Are my days short-lived and full of trouble? Jesus is my life, and the joy of my heart!

Am I exposed to contempt? Jesus shall be my crown of glory, and diadem of beauty!

Am I traveling through the wilderness? Jesus is my staff, and on Him I lean all the way!

Am I on my last journey to my long home? Jesus is my leader, and my rewarder!

Am I a sheep? Jesus is my pasture, and my green pasture too!

Am I hungry and thirsty? Jesus is my heavenly manna, and gives me to drink of the
water of life!

Am I weary?
Jesus is my rest and refreshing!

Am I weak? Jesus is my strength!

Am I oppressed and wronged? Jesus is my judge and my avenger!
Am I reproached? Jesus will wipe away the reproach of His people!

Am I a soldier? Jesus is my Captain and shield!

Must I fight in the field of battle? Jesus is my armor in the day of war!

Do I sit in darkness? Jesus is my light!

Do I have doubts? Jesus is my counselor!

Am I ignorant? Jesus is my wisdom!

Am I guilty? Jesus is my justification!

Am I filthy?
Jesus is my sanctification!

Am I poor?Jesus is the pearl of great price, and has immeasurable
riches laid up for me!

Am I blind?
Jesus, and none but He can open the eyes of one born blind!

Am I naked?
Jesus has white clothing to cover the shame of my nakedness!

Am I in the very utmost necessity?
Jesus is a very present help in time of trouble!

Am I exposed to the hurricanes of adversity? Jesus is . . .
a refuge from the storm,
a shelter from the blast,
rivers of water in a desert,
the shadow of a great rock in a weary land!

Am I afraid of being left alone? Jesus will never leave me, nor forsake me!

Do friends and brethren prove false? Jesus is the friend who sticks closer than a brother!

Am I in danger from disease and death — or from sin and
Satan?
My life is hidden with Christ in God! When He shall appear,
I shall appear with Him — immortal in my body, and glorious
in my soul!

Is my case considered in the court of Heaven? There Jesus is my Advocate!

Do I offend the Father?Jesus is my Intercessor!

Do I suffer in my body, and am I grieved in my mind?Jesus bore my infirmities, and carried my griefs!

Is my mind disquieted, and my soul debarred from peace?
Jesus is my sympathetic High Priest! He was tempted in all
points, and knows how to support those who are tempted!

Am I poor in my circumstances?
Jesus, the heir of all things! Though He was rich, yet for
my sake He became poor — that I through His poverty might be
made rich!

Do I suffer in my character? Jesus was numbered with transgressors, called a glutton,
a drunkard, and a devil!

Am I bereaved or alone? Jesus, my best friend, can never die!

Must I undergo death and be laid in the grave?
Jesus has taken away the sting of death, and robbed the
grave of its victory!

Must I rot in the grave? Jesus shall be my resurrection, and raise me to
immortality and bliss!

Would I go to God and to glory? Jesus is my way, and must admit me into the palace of
the great King, where I shall abide forever!

My needs are many — but
His fullnessis
infinitely more!

The morning dews and fructifying showers water the fields,
and refresh the parched furrows. But what are they, compared
to the exhaustless ocean of Jesus?

What is all that I enjoy here below, compared to the
exuberant fullness of Heavenly bliss? O! then, how shall my
soul be replenished — when possessed of this infinite
All, through eternity itself!

~ ~ ~ ~

Though sought with an ocean
of tears!

(George
Lawson, "A Practical Exposition of the Book of
Proverbs" 1821)

"But since you rejected Me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out
My hand, since you ignored
all My advice and would not
accept My rebuke — I in turn will laugh at your
disaster; I will mock when calamity
overtakes you — when calamity overtakes you like
a storm, when disaster sweeps over
you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble
overwhelm you! Then they will call to Me — but I
will not answer; they will look for
Me — but will not find Me. Since they hated
knowledge and did not choose to
fear the LORD,
since they would not accept My advice and spurned My rebuke — they
will eat the fruit of their ways and
be filled with the fruit of their schemes!"
Proverbs 1:24-31

The prayers of these desperate rebels are like the
howlings of a dog! They are cries extorted by strong
necessity and intolerable anguish!

Sinners miserably delude their own souls by proposing to live
in the indulgence of their sins — and die in the
exercise of repentance.True repentance
is never too late — but late repentance is seldom true!

Prayers are of no use in the eternal world. The day of
grace is at an end, and the wretched shall cry in vain to
the rocks and mountains to fall upon them, and hide them
from the wrath of the Lord and of the Lamb.

Behold, now is the accepted time — now the
Lord waits to be gracious. But the day is coming which is
cruel with wrath and fierce anguish! No place shall then
be found for mercy — though
sought with an ocean of tears!

The punishment is indeed tremendous — but the sin that
cause it is atrocious! It is no less than a contempt and
hatred of the counsels of the Lord. What is this, but an
undeniable proof of enmity against God Himself? And will
not God avenge Himself on His enemies?

When men do not chose the fear of the Lord, but prefer the
base pleasures of sin — they give plain proof of their
hatred to God. How then, can they escape the damnation of
Hell?

They laughed at God's threatenings, as if they had been
idle tales — and God shall laugh at them!

They despised His counsels — and He shall despise their
prayers!

They were always rebellious, and continued unchanged under
all admonition — and God will prove an immutable avenger,
and will pay no regard to their cries for help.

They took pleasure in sin — and God will laugh in
punishing them on account of it.

God is not to be blamed — but on the contrary, He will be
eternally glorious as their Avenger. His insulted
mercy will be glorious in the punishment of His
despisers. His unsullied justice shall shine in
dispensing to the workers of iniquity, the wages of their
wicked works!

Sinners never think they have drunk deep enough of the
poisoned cup of sin — but they shall at length be
filled with it. Then shall it satiate them — when they
find that intolerable misery is its native consequence.
That cup which now delights the lover of evil — will then
be found a cup of fury, and the wicked must drink
it down to its bitterest dregs!

He who cherishes iniquity — warms in his bosom the most
venomous of serpents! Sinners owe their ruin . . .
to their willful hardness of heart,
to their abuse of divine mercy, and
to their indifference to God's salvation.

If the prosperity of fools leads them to the indulgence of
sin, and the neglect of holiness — it renders their
damnation more certain and more dreadful!

My dear sir,
I could write a long note indeed, upon your very great mistake
in considering me as a great man. If we
could have a personal interview — I think you would be
quickly undeceived! Ah! how different I am — from what
perhaps I appear to be to others when in the pulpit.
Your mistake, however, has done me good. A whole quire
of invective from an enemy could
hardly have given me so keen a sense of shame.
The Scriptures assure us that our hearts by nature, like coins from the same mint
— are all alike. I hear my fellow-Christians complain of
evils similar to what I feel. Otherwise I would have
reason to conclude that there could not be one believer
upon earth — so inconsistent, so evil, so vile
beyond expression — as myself!

Ah, dear sir! what would you have thought of me — had
you seen me when I lived among the slaves? The sight
of me would have been offensive to your eyes, and my
vile speech would have struck you with horror! I
was miserable and despicable in every view — the common
mark of scorn and insult! My whole wretched amusement
and pleasure seemed to lie in blaspheming the name and
person of Jesus, and in feeding my imagination with
schemes of wickedness!

Some of my unhappy companions have perished in their
sins — who have just cause to charge the ruin of their
souls to my account! For Satan himself, had he
been upon earth in a bodily shape — could hardly have
been more industrious in tempting to infidelity and
profligacy than I was!

There is seldom a day of my life, in which my thoughts
are not led back to my former state of estrangement from
Him, and that pre-eminence of wretchedness into
which my sins plunged me!

Yet, it is of grace that my poor story is not much
worse. The Lord is my keeper — therefore I am still
preserved. "By the grace of God — I am what I am!" 1
Corinthians 15:10
I am, dear sir, your affectionate friend and servant,
John Newton, 1778

Every believer VALUES Christ. Let others think of Him as
they may — all who are taught of God, think highly of Him.
They can never honor Him as they wish, or enjoy
Him to their full satisfaction.

Every believer feels their NEED of him.
No weary traveler ever felt his need of rest,
no hungry laborer ever felt his need of food,
no drowning mariner ever felt his need of a
life-boat
— as the believer has felt his need of Christ!

They need to be saved
— and only Christ can save them.
They need to be happy — and only Jesus can make them
happy.
They need His blood to cleanse them from sin, and
procure their pardon.
They need His righteousness to clothe their souls,
and justify them before God.
They need His Spirit to sanctify their nature, and
make them fit for Heaven.
They need His intercession to secure them from
evil, and procure for them good things.
They need His fullness of grace to supply all their
needs, from earth to Heaven.

Every believer discovers the exact SUITABILITY of Christ to
them.
He is just what they need — He has all
that they need!
They are foolish — and He has wisdom.
They are unrighteous — and He has righteousness.
They are unholy — and He has holiness.
They are weak — and He has strength.
They are in bondage — and He has redemption.
They are lost — and He has salvation.
In a word, they are led to see that God has stored up
everything in Jesus — and that possessing Him, they have all
things!

Every Christian believes on Him to the saving of the soul.
They trust Him to procure their pardon, peace with God, and
everlasting life.
Their heart goes out to Him,
they repose confidence in Him,
they commit their souls to Him,
they build on Him — as God's foundation;
they hide in Him — as the sinner's refuge; and
they trust themselves with Him — as the almighty
Savior.

"Unto you therefore who believe — He is precious!"

But Jesus is only precious
to believers. Others do not feel their need
of Him, do not see His adaptation to them, and
do not depend on Him for pardon, peace with God,
and everlasting life.

Beloved, do you have this saving faith — which
renders Christ so precious?

If so, admire the sovereign and distinguishing grace of
God, which has conferred so great a blessing upon you
— for not all are given saving faith.

If so, realize the importance of this faith
— which renders Christ so precious.
It is the eye — which sees the beauty of Christ.
It is the foot — which travels to Christ.
It is the hand — which lays hold of Christ.
It is the mouth — which tastes the sweetness of
Christ.
It is the inward principle — which clings and
cleaves to Christ.

"All the peoples of the earth are
regarded as nothing. He does
as He pleases with the
powers of Heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to Him: What have you done?"Daniel 4:35

As well might a worm seek to resist the tread of an
elephant; as well might a babe step
between the railroad tracks and attempt to
push back the on-rushing train;
as well might a child seek to prevent the ocean
from rolling —
as for a creature to try and resist the outworking of the
purpose of the Lord God!

Ah, my reader, this is the first great lesson we have to
learn:
that God is the Creator — and we are the
creature;
that He is the Potter — and we are the clay!

"O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in
Heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power
and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you!" 2
Chronicles 20:6

"A fool finds pleasure in evil
conduct!" That man has arrived at an advanced
stage of folly, who takes as much pleasure in evil conduct,
as if it were an agreeable amusement. But it would be far
safer to sport with fire,than with sin
— which kindles a fire that will burn to the lowest Hell! It
may now be a sport to do evil — but in the lake of fire
and brimstone, it will be no sport to have done it!"But a man of understanding delights in wisdom."
And therefore it is impossible that he should be so
infatuated with sin. He is deeply sensible of the misery
and ruin that is in sin. His delight is in
holiness — and in the exercises of holiness, he experiences
that heartfelt pleasure, which the sweetest sins could never
afford!

The God of Scripture is infinite in Holiness. The
"only true God" is He who hates sin with a perfect
abhorrence, and whose nature eternally burns against it.

He is the One who beheld the wickedness of the antediluvians,
and who opened the windows of Heaven and poured down the flood
of His righteous indignation!

He is the One who rained fire and brimstone upon Sodom
and Gomorrah, and utterly destroyed these cities of
the plain!

He is the One who sent the plagues upon Egypt, and
destroyed her haughty monarch together with his hosts at the
Red Sea!

He is the One who caused the earth to open its mouth and
swallow alive Korah and his rebellious company!

Yes, He is the One who "spared not His own Son" when He was
"made sin for us — that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him."

So holy is God, and such is the antagonism of His nature
against evil, that . . .
for one sin, He banished our first parents from Eden;
for one sin, He cursed the posterity of Ham;
for one sin, He turned Lot's wife into a pillar of
salt;
for one sin, He sent out fire and devoured the sons
of Aaron;
for one sin, Moses died in the wilderness;
for one sin, Achan and his family were all stoned to
death;
for one sin, the servant of Elisha was smitten with
leprosy!

And this is the God that every Christ-rejector has yet to
meet in judgment!

~ ~ ~ ~

The best name by which we can think of God!

(Martin Luther)

"This,
then, is how you should pray:Our Father
in Heaven . . . "Matthew
6:9

The
best name by which we can think of God is Father.
It is a loving, deep, sweet, heart-touching name, for the
name of Father is in its nature, full of inborn
sweetness and comfort.

Therefore, also, we must
confess ourselves to be His children — for by this
name we deeply touch our God, since there is not a sweeter
sound to the father than the voice of the child.

"He shall cry to Me: You
are my Father, my God, and
the rock of my salvation!"Psalm
89:26

Men derive almost the whole of their happiness from the hope
of some future good.

Wicked men may indulge themselves in hopes of eternal
happiness also. Such hopes are
highly pleasing to the devil, who keeps his
slaves quiet by means of them, until they are brought
into the same hopeless condition with himself! Thus the life
of a wicked man is spent in vain wishes, and toils, and
hopes — until death kills at once his body, his hope, and
his happiness!
Does the wicked man expect Heaven? How terrible will
be the punishment of his presumptuous hopes, when he shall
be hurled down headlong into the depths of eternal despair!

"A virtuous woman is her
husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like rottenness
in his bones." Proverbs 12:4

A virtuous woman . . .
fears the Lord,
reverences her husband,
manages her house with prudence and care,
behaves charitably to the poor, and kindly to all.

To what should we compare such a woman? Should we compare
her to a bracelet, or say that she is a necklace
of gold to her husband? Such comparisons would be quite
below her worth. She makes him as happy as a king, and
procures him such respect and honor, that she deserves to be
compared to that royal ornament that encircles the head of
Majesty. She is to her husband, a crown enriched
with those lovely virtues, which shine with more radiant
luster than diamonds! She is health to her
husband's bones, for the sight of her amiable behavior, and
the pleasure of her society, inspires him with that habitual
cheerfulness which does good like a medicine.

But the woman who lacks virtue disgraces her husband, and is
as rottenness in his bones.
Her peevish temper or her passionate behavior,
her extravagant expenses or her sordid avarice,
the levity of her speech or the scandal of her vices —
make him the object of pity or scorn when he is abroad, and
fill him with anguish at home. She is not a help — but a torment
to him. A man may get out of a fever in a few weeks —
but the misery of this living disease is that it
will prey upon a man's bones and spirits, until the death of
one of the married parties brings relief.

Let wives consider seriously, whether they wish for
happiness and honor to their husbands — or misery and
disgrace; and whether it is better for themselves to prove
helpers to the joy, and crowns to the head of their husbands
— or living plagues to them, and fires to consume their
vitals!

Let husbands give honor to their wives, and
encourage them in virtue, by their kindness and approbation.
What tender love does Christ show to those whom He is
pleased to betroth to Himself in loving-kindness! So ought
husbands to love their wives.

Life is great beyond all expression, because eternity is
inseparably linked to it.

If the comfort and
happiness of the rest of your life depended upon the use of
one day or one hour — you would be very careful to use it
aright! But infinitely greater is the disproportion between
our little day of life here — and the vast eternity
that follows. Yet upon the one, hangs the other.

How shall we think of eternity? How shall we measure
it? How shall we grasp it? How shall we get at least some
faint idea of that ever-abiding, unending existence, which
stretches away into the far horizon, and whose boundary we
can never reach?

Take it in this way. Suppose that for every flower that
blooms in summer, you count a thousand years — and add
together the sum of all.

Suppose that, for every leaf that trembles in the
breeze, you also count a thousand years — and then add
together these two sums.

In a similar manner, for every bird or insect that
flies in the air, for every living creature that
treads the earth, for every fish that is found in
the mighty deep — count a thousand years.

Then, if you can, add together these vast totals and imagine
the time they demand, and remember that when these cycles
of ages have rolled by, the
great clock of eternity has only just begun to tick!

And this great eternal future hangs on this short
passing life! What a reality does this give to it! What a
vast importance attaches to every moment of it!

"So teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
Psalm 90:12

No condition can possibly be more dreary, than to feel that
no one loves or cares for us!

There is something peculiarly sweet and pleasant — in being
the object of another's love. Even the love of a poor
child is sweet. But to be loved by one who is most
wealthy, most exalted in station, and most honorable in
character — must be peculiarly delightful!

How, then, should we rejoice; how happy should we be — who
are loved by the Lord Jesus! Especially when
we consider: on the one hand . . .
how despicable,
how poor,
how worthless, and
how unlovely WE are! And, on the other hand . . .
how glorious,
how wealthy,
how worthy,
how lovely JESUS is!

To be loved by Jesus — is to be preferred before the
possession of a world!

Think of . . .
the glory of His person,
the vastness of His possessions,
the number of His angelic attendants,
the unlimited sovereignty which He exercises,
and the excellent character He bears!

Also bear in mind — that He knew what loving us would cost
Him — how He would be treated by us and by others
— for our sakes!

Yet He fixed His love upon US!

He loved US — just because He would!

He passed by others more dignified in nature, more
exalted in station — but He chose US!

He did not, could not, NEED us — for He
was infinitely happy and glorious without us!

"Stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find
knowledge on his lips." Proverbs 14:7

We must not willingly enter into the company of fools. But
if, through ignorance of their character, we happen to do so
— we must not stay in it, lest we be corrupted by their
foolish conduct. We are either like those whose company
we frequent — or shall soon be like them. Evil
companionships will efface our impressions of the evil of
sin, and corrupt our own morals and character.

Lukewarm professors, who are perhaps the least
dangerous of bad companions, will, if we take pleasure in
their company — transfuse their lukewarmness into us.
When are we to leave the company of a foolish man? As
soon as we perceive that he has not the lips of knowledge.
As trees are known by their fruit, so men are known by their
words and works. But they are soonest known by their words,
which are the most plentiful and the easiest products of the
heart.

We are not to suppose men to be fools without evidence — but
profane or foolish words come from folly in the heart. A
godly man out of the good treasure of his heart, brings
forth good things — but an evil man out of the evil treasure
of his heart, brings forth evil things.
This commandment should strike terror into the wicked! Since
God will not allow His redeemed children to keep company
with them on earth — it cannot be supposed that He will
admit them to His own eternal home in Heaven. Either God or they must change
— before they can be received into Heaven!

"The house of the wicked will be destroyed — but
the tent of the upright will flourish." Proverbs
14:11

The upright man is far happier in the poorest circumstances
— than a wicked man in his greatest prosperity. Though a
wicked man surmounts his neighbor as far as the cedars of
the mountain overtop the creeping shrubs of the valley — yet
he shall be filled with the strokes of divine vengeance.
Though he dwells in a magnificent palace — the tempest of
divine indignation shall beat it down!

But the righteous man, though at present he appears like the
incarnate Savior, a tender plant — shall grow like the cedar
in Lebanon. And though his dwelling place is but a tent,
it shall flourish, and prosper, and grow into a heavenly
mansion! It is far better to dwell
in a poor cottage where the blessing of God
rests, and in which is heard the melody of joy and praise —
than in a palace which lies under the curse of the Lord!

"Folly
delights a man who is destitute of wisdom — but a man of
understanding walks uprightly." Proverbs 15:21

"The
mouth of the wicked gulps down evil!"Proverbs 19:28

"Their
souls delight in their abominations." Isaiah 66:3

"They
love to indulge in evil pleasures." 2 Peter 2:13

"The
wicked freely strut about, when what is vile is honored
among men." Psalm 12:8

It is a sign of
prodigious folly for a man to take pleasure in sin, which .
. .
gives mortal wounds to the soul,
provokes the wrath of the Almighty God, and
could not be expiated, but in the groans and blood of
a Redeemer.
And yet all wicked men take pleasure in sin. It is with the
utmost propriety, that Solomon gives the name of fool to
the wicked — and allows the character of wisdom to
none but the godly.

The godly are not wise
in every instance of their conduct, for weakness and
temptation too often betray them into sin — yet they hate
sin, and long to be rid of their indwelling corruption.

This is the difference
between the disposition of godly and wicked men, with
relation to sin. Wicked men may for many reasons abstain
from the outward commission of sin — but godly men
hate sin, and everything that leads to it.

Sin is not only practiced
by the wicked — but it is loved by them. Folly
is their joy, and therefore they sin even without a
temptation. It is their food and drink to sin, and they roll
iniquity under their tongue as if it were a sweet morsel.
They do not hate those sins that are condemned by God's Word
— but the Word that condemns them. They dislike salvation
itself — because it is a deliverance from sin.

But the wise man's
employment is to walk uprightly. He hates the sin that
dwells in him, and loathes himself for his impurities. He
takes pleasure in holiness, and loves the law of God,
because it testifies against his iniquities. He joins
earnestly with the Psalmist in that prayer, "O that my
ways were directed to keep your statutes!" And
instead of being satisfied with such a degree of holiness as
may amount to the lowest evidence of true grace — he will
not count himself completely happy, until his grace is
completed in the glory of the heavenly state!